The research will be the first independent study into the ongoing expansion of compulsory income management in Australia, and its more recent introduction in New Zealand. Compulsory income management was introduced in Australia in 2007 as part of then Australian Governmentâ€¿s Northern Territory Emergency Response. It has since been expanded in Australia to include young people and other groups considered â€¿welfare dependentâ€¿. The proposed research aims to explore the intended and unintended effects of the policy using an innovative methodology that incorporates a cross-national comparison of policy design and practice. A key benefit of the research will be a richer understanding of human agency, autonomy and social identity in social policy.